NCJ Number
82470
Date Published
1981
Length
61 pages
Annotation
Findings and recommendations are presented from a survey of police practices in dealing with juveniles and police views of the juvenile justice system in Dane County, Wis.
Abstract
This survey is part of a 3-year research agenda of the Dane County Youth Commission, which includes an overall assessment of the needs and problems of all youth in the county and a two-phase inventory and evaluation of services related to the juvenile justice process in the county. A questionnaire was mailed to all 31 police departments in the county -- State, county, and municipal. The survey instrument was designed to obtain basic descriptive and opinion data on the number of specialized juvenile officers, recordkeeping practices, referral decision criteria, interagency communication and coordination, perceptions of needed resources and programs, and police reaction to the procedural changes associated with the new Children's Code. The questionnaire was sent to police officers assigned full or part-time duties involving the handling of juvenile cases or vested with departmental authority to decide on the manner in which juvenile cases are handled. Findings show that by the standards of the Wisconsin Council on Criminal Justice Standards, the Madison Police Department and Dane County Sheriff's Department are understaffed with juvenile specialists. Further, central index and other formal reports are apparently being made inconsistently among county agencies. Factors considered by police to be most important in making court referrals are (1) the seriousness of the offense, (2) the number of prior contacts with police, and (3) public safety considerations. Police frustration with the juvenile justice system was most often related to a lack of followup feedback from other agencies. Tabular data are provided.